Accident Database

Report ID# 590

Help
  • Flush Drowning
  • Does not Apply
  • Other

Accident Description

On the Friday before the Stoney Creek Rendezvous a powerful line of thunderstorms slammed into Western Pennsylvania , raising area rivers to very high levels. The Upper Stoney River is a seldom-run Class IV that changes character quickly. Below the flat water at the put-in the river turns away from the road, picks up speed, and heads into what guidebooks call a tough rapid with lots of strainers at the bottom. The run, except for that rapid, is Class III. The river was running high and fast (comparable to the Tohickon at 5 feet). It was a bad place to be if you don’t know the run, and no one in our group did.

Ben Stone, 50, was one of many paddlers in the area for the Stoney Creek Rendezvous. A regular contributor to rec.boats.paddle, he had been paddling for several years. Although skilled, he may not have had the background needed to cope with the whitewater that waited below. The air temp was about 60o and sunny, and the water temperature was about 50o. Ben was well-equipped for these conditions, with a full drysuit over a wet suit and a wool sweater.

These events of April 17, 1999 are described by Tom Polomchak, a member of Ben’s group:

“I met  Ben at the Stoney Creek Festival and on Saturday morning I told him I wanted to do some of the smaller creeks while they were up. This would also give the Stoney some time to drop. But everyone I knew was heading to the Upper Stoney. Since I‘d found only one person who wanted to try smaller creeks, I joined the group. Our group, three kayaks and a raft, was the first to arrive at the put-in. Seven more of our friends arrived moments later. Ben was first to hit the water, giggling like a kid as he worked a squirt spot below the bridge. The put-in and take-out were deceptively easy looking..

The river suddenly veered around a turn, throwing up big waves. My sight line was limited and there were few eddys to catch. I immediately shifted from a relaxed mode to a cautious mode, but Ben didn’t seem to make that switch. We all caught a small eddy together. A guy in the raft asked if I wanted them to be probe boater for the next rapid, I responded, “No I'll do it.” I peeled out and caught an eddy across the stream. Seeing no major problems for a little ways. I waved them over as I swung out of the river left eddy to catch one on river right.

Ben and another kayaker entered the current, but instead of eddying left, the first boater caught a small eddy behind a midstream rock. “Can I boof it?” Ben yelled. Ben boofed the rock, turned around, and started to play. I looked upstream and saw him flip. He tried to roll up twice but failed. A kayaker pulled in front of Ben and tried to lend assistance. I barely caught the next eddy, looked over my shoulder, and saw to my horror a huge jumble of rocks and trees. Ben and the other boater were headed straight for it.

Ben was in front of his boat, facing backwards. I yelled for him to climb behind it, and he did so. The other kayaker didn’t see the hazard either and, washed over it backwards into an eddy below. Then Ben’s boat went down beneath him, and he slammed up against the strainer. As I got out of my boat to help, Ben washed over the top of the logs. I saw the raft downstream in what seemed like a good position to pick him up. But I never saw my friend Ben alive again.

Mark Culkin continues the narrative:

The raft took up the chase. At this point they were approaching the  biggest drop which I believe is called Island Rapid.  This rapid is a series of flume-like waterfalls and I would call it a Class V. It is a mandatory scout because from above all you can see is a horizon line between huge boulders. The raft chased Ben through this rapid and ended up running into a tree strainer. After bouncing off the tree, the raft kept after Ben. This section was a big flush; Ben outpaced the raft and was washed down river. The raft continued down river but there was no sign of Ben.  

After portaging the big drops the two kayakers continued downstream, thinking that Ben had floated out with the raft. When they got to the takeout somebody told them that Ben was seen floating by – apparently drowned. Ben was found about a half mile below the takeout stuck on a bush underwater several hours later. The rescue squad could not get to him so some paddlers in our group (who had showed up by this time) ferried a line across river, tied it to Ben, and pulled him back across river. 

ANALYSIS:

1. (Polomchak )The river was running at about 3 feet on the Rt. 30 bridge gauge, which is very high. Although it appeared innocuous at the put-in and takeout, the steepest drops were waiting just a short distance downstream. At this level they were constant Class IV-V  for several miles with few eddies or pools. The river had been up higher the night  before because of the debris on the banks. This probably put a  number of potential strainers in motion.

2. (Walbridge) It is appears from the write up that Ben Stone did not understand the seriousness of the river right before he swam. He was still in play mode even though the river was clearly changing character.

3. (Walbridge) Ben was unresponsive during most of his swim. The rafters reported that he made no effort to swim to them or assist in the rescue. He probably inhaled water or even hit his head while swimming through the strainer. The coroner found a cut near his left temple, but it’s not clear when he received it.

4. (Walbridge) In high water, maintaining group cohesion is not easy. It’s not surprising that everyone put pursuing Stone first, and in doing so lost track of their friends. The others kept together in smaller groups, and were reunited at the take-out. While not ideal, it’s the best that could be expected under these conditions.

5. (Walbridge) Ben Stone was not the only person to get more than he bargained for on the Upper Stoney that day! Many loose boats were floated downriver, and dozens of people walked out. One rec.boats.paddle post described how a strong party from Pittsburgh, including a boater who regularly runs Big Splat, a Class V on the Big Sandy, got trashed and ended up on foot. Local rescue squads were mobilized, helicopters were called in, and several paddlers ended up in emergency rooms with various injuries. Area officials now have real concerns about working with local boaters to promote paddling on these rivers.

6. (Walbridge) Festivals are big fun, but don’t let the excitement they generate influence your judgement. Just because lots of people are attempting a run doesn’t mean it’s right for you! Remember that high water is best enjoyed by those who know a river well enough to anticipate the danger spots. If you are unfamiliar with a run, wait until you’ve had a few trips at moderate flows or go with someone who has. High water rivers are terrible places to swim, and rescues are truly challenging. If your roll is not reliable, wait for the water to drop to more manageable levels.

 

Here is report from the AW database or journal.

I was part of the main group of about 12 that Ben hooked up with to run the Stoneycreek in April. I was not there for the actual swim because the group broke into two groups at the putin. Ben's group consisted of Ben, 2 kayakers and an experienced kayaker who was in 10 ft raft with an inexperience passenger (3 kayakers and a raft with two people).


Here is what I gathered from talking to the kayakers involved in the accident: Ben's group took off about 15 minutes ahead of my group with the intent of possibly meeting up down river. After about 0.5 miles of class 2-3 water the river rounded a bend, narrowed and started a steep descent. I would describe the rapids as nonstop class 4+ difficulty with NO eddies or pools. I could not find an eddy in this rapid for at least a mile and only got to shore by powering to the side and holding onto a branch. This stretch had numerous boulders, stainers and holes to deal with. Plus a few class 5 drop stoward the end.
Ben flipped in this section, attempted a few rolls and then came out of the boat. One of the kayakers paddled out to help and Ben grabbed onto the bow of the kayak. Both Ben and the kayaker flushed downstream until both were washed into a strainer. Ben became tangled in the strainer but was able to extricate himself. The kayaker was separated from Ben at this time. Ben continued his swim and the raft took up the chase.

At this point they were aproaching the biggest drop which I believe is called Island Rapid. This rapid is a series of flume-like waterfalls and I would call it a class 5. It is a mandatory scout because from above all you can see is a horizan line between huge boulders. The raft chased Ben through this rapid and ended up running into a tree stainer that was stuck in one of the drops. After bouncing off the tree, the raft kept after Ben but this section was a big flush and Ben outpaced the raft and was washed downriver. The raft continued downriver but there was no sign of Ben.
A few thing of note: Ben was unreponsive through most of his swim and did not actively try to self-rescue. At one point he came within a few feet of the raft but was unable to grasp a paddle that was put out for him. He may have hit his head at some point and this may have contributed to his unresponsiveness. The swim itself would have kept him underwater for much of the time.
After portaging the big drops (with strainers) the 2 kayakers continued downstream thinking that Ben had floated out with the raft. When they got to the takeout somebody notified them that Ben was seen floating by - apparently drowned. Ben was found about a half mile below the takeout stuck on a bush underwater. The EMT's could not get to him so some paddlers in our group (who had shown up by this time) ferried across river, tied Ben up and pendulumed him across river to the EMT's. They were unable to save him because Ben had probably been in the water for a few hours at this point. A few notes on river conditions etc.. The river was running at about 3 ft on the rte 30 bridge gauge (very high). The river appeared very innocuous at the putin and takeout but after the first half mile it was near constant class 4 - 5 for a few miles (with little or no eddies or pools). I could tell the river had been up higher the night before because of the debris on the banks. This probably moved around quite a few tree strainers.
The water temp was about 50 and the air temp was about 60 (sunny). Ben was wearing a full drysuit over a wet suit with wool sweater.
There have been a few false reports (on the internet) from a person who was not there, does not know what the river was like, and evidently has little understanding of the feasability or danger of boat-rescueing somebody under those conditions. It was also falsely reported that nobody attempted to go after Ben, and that Ben was seen "swimming" (alive) at the takeout - 5 miles from the accident. I hope this help to clarify what really happened.
Feel free to verify this report by emailing Tom Polomchak pyranha@webtv.net. He was one of the kayakers onhand. I will be on vacation for a few weeks so I will not be able to respond to any email.


Frank Culkin

On the Friday before the weekend of the Stony Creek Rendezvous a powerful line of thunderstorms slammed into Western Pennsylvania , raising area rivers to very high levels. That Saturday, April 17th, a large group put in on the Upper Stony, a class III-IV run east of Johnstown, PA. Below the put-in the river turns away from the road, picks up speed, and heads into what guidebooks describe as a tough rapid with lots of strainers at the bottom. Extensive postings to rec.boats.paddle by people on the scene had this to say: Three kayaks and a raft formed Ben’s group, but there were boats ahead of and behind them. The rapids became extremely fast and pushy below the put-in, with few eddies. One kayaker, Ben Stone, 50, flipped and swam after several roll attempts. He washed into a strainer where he was held momentarily, then released. At this point he was swimming weakly, and may have inhaled water. The other two kayakers attempted a boat rescue, but they were forced to pull back above a big drop. They last saw Ben floating downstream with the raft closing in. As the water got more intense, the raft pulled back also.

 

 

 

By now everyone was quite spread out, and the group lost track of Stone. The kayakers thought the rafters had him, and the rafters believed that he’d swum to shore. Unfortunately, he was washed instead 3.5 miles, through the remainder of the run.  His body was found stuck on a midstream bush a half mile below the takeout. Kayakers on the scene ferried out into the current and attached a line, allowing the rescue squad to swing him to shore.

 

 

 

Ben Stone was not the only person to get more than he bargained for on the Upper Stony that day! Many loose boats were reported floating downriver, and dozens of people walked out. One posting described how a strong party from Pittsburgh , including a boater who regularly runs Big Splat, got trashed and ended up on foot. Local rescue squads were mobilized, helicopters were called in, and several paddlers ended up in emergency rooms with various injuries. Area officials now have real concerns about working with local boaters to promote paddling these rivers. The moral of the story: festivals are big fun, but don’t let the excitement they generate influence your judgement. Just because crowds of people are attempting a run doesn’t mean it’s right for you! Remember that high water is best enjoyed by those who know a river well enough to anticipate the danger spots. If you are unfamiliar with a run, either wait until you’ve had a few trips at moderate flows or go with a responsible person who has. High water rivers are terrible places to swim, and rescues are often truly challenging. If your roll is not reliable, wait for the water to drop to more manageable levels.

 

Join AW and support river stewardship nationwide!